Red Clay board approves Priority Schools MOU

RED CLAY BOARD APPROVES PRIORITY SCHOOLS MOU

The Red Clay Consolidated School Board approved
a Memorandum of Understanding with the Delaware Department of Education
tonight that allows the district and state to move forward together to
support students in the district’s three Priority Schools.

“We have worked closely with Red Clay leaders
over the past few months on a path forward that can deliver more
services and resources to the children in Red Clay’s three priority
schools. Red Clay has worked tirelessly with teachers, parents and
other stakeholders to develop an MOU that is tailored to their needs and
represents a compromise that has the potential to deliver for their
students. It provides for the selection of a great school leader who
will have the flexibility to modify the school day, extend the school
year or change the curriculum to best meet students’ needs. While the
plans for each school are still being developed, we are excited about
the prospect of providing additional support services and resources to
the children in these schools,” Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said.

In September, the state announced significant
resources and support for Delaware’s six lowest-performing district
schools, providing the opportunity for substantial changes that address
the specific needs of students from their communities. These Priority
Schools, all located within the City of Wilmington and split between the
Christina and Red Clay districts, would share almost $6 million over
four years to implement locally-developed, state-approved plans.

Tonight’s vote comes after months of
collaboration between the state and Red Clay, which also has been moving
forward with its school plans for Highlands Elementary, Shortlidge
Academy, and Warner Elementary. Red Clay officials submitted a first
draft of plans to the state for feedback on December 12 and have
committed to submitting high-quality plans that meet the expectations
outlined in the state's turnaround guide by January 7.

Recognizing that Red Clay schools are in session only five days between
now and January 7 and the importance of families having the opportunity
to engage in the development of the plan as well as provide feedback on
the final plans, state and district leaders agreed school board members
would consider the final plans at their January 21 meeting. Red Clay
leaders have committed to submitting their board-approved plans to the
state by noon on January 22.